The approaches described in this section could be pursued, but are not necessarily approaches that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated herein, the approaches described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
Sunglasses and other eyewear that block ultraviolet (UV) rays are commonly used by people. Research has shown that long hours in the sun without adequate eye protection increase the chances of developing eye disease. However, in the past protective eyewear has not been available for animals, especially domestic animals and house pets such as dogs and cats. Thus, there is a need for UV-absorbent sunglasses or other eyewear to help protect the eyes of pets from sun damage.
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) has set standards for type A UV radiation (UVA) and type B UV radiation (UVB) protection in eyewear. In particular, ANSI requires that a pair of sun goggles block at least 50 percent of UV rays. While these standards were developed for human eyewear, it is believed that equivalent safety standards are appropriate for animal use. Thus, there is a need for animal eyewear that conforms to these standards.
The eye disease chronic superficial keratitis or “pannus” is increasingly common in dogs. While drug therapy is normally recommended for pannus, veterinarians also have suggested that dogs with pannus should stay out of direct sun and get protection from UV light. However, not all dog owners are able to observe these restrictions with their pets without assistance. Thus, there is a need for a form of eyewear for canines that provides protection for those with pannus.
Still other animals are subjected to wind and airborne debris. For example, some dog owners transport their animals in a motorcycle sidecar, in vehicles with open windows, or in the back of a pickup truck, or in other locations that expose the dog to wind during movement. As another example, animals that assist humans in search and rescue activities often are exposed to airborne debris.
While some dog owners use ordinary sunglasses for their dogs, such glasses do not adequately protect the animal from wind and debris because they typically have open sides or a loose fit. In another approach, unmodified goggles intended for humans are used on animals. However, there are significant anatomical differences in the structure of the canine skull as compared to the human skull. For example, human goggles do not properly fit the canine head because the nose bridge is typically too small and otherwise proportioned incorrectly. Further, in canines the distance between the eyes, the orientation of the eye sockets, and the width and height of the eyes are far different from their human counterparts so that the lenses and eye cups of human goggles do not fit properly. Still another problem is that different dog breeds are characterized by great differences in the foregoing dimensions; the skull proportions of a small breed such as a Chihuahua are far different from those of a Great Dane. As a result, use of human goggles is troublesome, and the use of a single size of human goggles for all canines is impractical.
Thus, there is a need for a way to protect dogs and other animals with eye protection against wind and debris.
More generally, there is a clear need for a way to protect the eyes of animals from trauma, reduce glare, and relieve light sensitivity.